<Chapter 67>

“The invitation for the harvest festival from the capital has arrived.”

“…Oh.”

Oh, great. And just like that, my excitement deflated like a popped balloon.

But only for a moment.

“Harvest festival? Invitation? What’s that about?”

This wasn’t mentioned in the novel.

“In autumn, there’s a grand festival held in the capital. It’s a large event that gathers nobles, and the imperia social circle hosts a grand banquet. They’re asking us to attend.”

“Oh, I see. So, all nobles are invited by default?”

“Yes. I receive invitations every year, though I’ve never attended once.”

Temenos chose his words carefully, but I could easily guess why he never went.

‘He probably didn’t want to go, knowing they’d just mock him as a monster.’

“This year, the Emperor personally sent someone to make it clear. He said that since he orchestrated our marriage, we should attend together and express our gratitude.”

“Wow, that’s petty.”

What kind of emperor brags about his generosity like that? He’s probably planning to milk this for at least ten years.

“Do we really have to go?”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. It’s not an imperial decree.”

“Hmm… Give me a moment to think about it.”

I need to mull this over.

‘At this point in the novel, where has the story progressed?’

By now, Beatrice should’ve arrived in the North and made at least one escape attempt.

And that slightly unhinged Temenos would’ve caught her and confined her…

‘He had a reason for locking Beatrice up, didn’t he?’

In the lands near the North, close to the capital, bodies had been discovered. The corpses of the first bride candidate, the viscount’s daughter, and the second, the baron’s daughter.

Then rumors began to spread—stories that the Monster Duke had killed both women, just like he supposedly would the third candidate.

Of course, it was all part of the Emperor’s scheme, and Temenos eventually caught on to it.

That’s why he confined Beatrice. If she returned to the capital and caught the Emperor’s attention, she would also be killed and discarded in the North.

‘In the novel, Temenos tried to restore the Winstein family’s honor.’

But the truth behind the deaths of the two noblewomen couldn’t be uncovered, and public scorn only grew worse.

To make matters worse, the former fiancé of the late viscount’s daughter vowed revenge on the North for the deaths of his ex-fiancée and her unborn child.

Wait, hold on.

‘Right. The late viscount’s daughter was pregnant.’

So, could it be…

BEST
LavenderScent

What is this sudden twist??? She’s pregnant with the male lead’s child???

Could it be that the pregnant viscount’s daughter was carrying Temenos’ child? Isn’t that a plausible theory?

“Hold on. Sit up for a moment. We need to talk.”

Temenos, though startled by my light pats on his shoulder, obediently sat up. He looked at me curiously.

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to sleep more?”

“My sleepiness is gone. Let’s have a serious conversation.”

“A serious conversation?”

Though uncertain of my intentions, Temenos waited attentively.

“So, um…”

What was I going to say again?

My thoughts vanished as my gaze drifted to his chiseled physique, revealed through the loosely draped blanket.

How could someone look like a Greek god, even with a hastily thrown-on blanket?

My eyes inadvertently wandered to the scales covering the left side of his body.

‘They haven’t decreased since yesterday.’

If this was his base state… then, if the scales increased further due to his dragon transformation, I might be able to revert him back to this level. But can I completely remove them?

‘Well… it doesn’t really matter if they don’t disappear.’

Actually, hugging him in the summer might feel cool and refreshing.

Either way, since his transformation might progress unpredictably, I should stick close to him more often.

‘Hmm, but this isn’t out of personal desire. It’s all for the grand mission of saving the world…’

“Were you admiring my body instead of starting a serious conversation?”

“No! I wasn’t! I mean… Ah! About the first and second bride candidates who came before me—”

“…Why are you bringing them up?”

Temenos’s expression hardened with displeasure.

Of course, he wouldn’t enjoy hearing about women who tried to flee from him.

But sometimes, adults have to face uncomfortable topics.

Patting his muscular arm reassuringly, I asked, “Do you know where those two are now?”

“I don’t. And frankly, I don’t care.”

“Would it be possible to find out their whereabouts?”

“Why should I bother?”

His irritation was evident. Gently stroking his bulging shoulder muscles, I coaxed him with a calm tone.

“Remember when I asked what the divine oracle from yesterday said? Let me tell you now.”

Temenos’ curiosity was piqued, though his tone remained curt.

“You wouldn’t tell me yesterday.”

“Well, I was too overwhelmed yesterday. It said a woman claiming to be pregnant with your child would appear.”

“What…!”

Temenos’ jaw dropped in shock. Seeing his dumbfounded face filled me with satisfaction.

Now you understand why I grabbed you by the collar yesterday.

“That’s absolutely impossible. Completely absurd.”

“Because yesterday was your first time?”

Temenos was about to continue his fervent denial but abruptly stopped. His face flushed red as he glanced at me nervously, then nodded quietly.

His bashful reaction was adorable, and I couldn’t help but grin.

Yep, the current trend is respectful and pure-hearted men.

“Remember when you told me the Emperor spread rumors that you had a mistress and abused me to break us apart?”

Temenos immediately caught on to what I was implying.

“You think this is another scheme by the Emperor? That he’d claim I fathered a child with another woman?”

“Exactly. And if that woman happens to be your first bride candidate, who claims to be carrying your child, who do you think people will believe?”

“…No one would believe me.”

A bitter smile crossed Temenos’ lips. His defeated expression was so pitiful that I instinctively scooted closer to console him.

“Not no one. I believe you.”

“…I suppose even a wife who grabs collars is better than no one. That’s… comforting.”

“Hey, no dredging up the past. Did you already forget? I’ll have to write that rule down for you.”

Temenos chuckled softly. His smile was so endearing that I impulsively kissed him on the lips.

“If that woman is acting willingly, or if she’s being coerced by the Emperor, I don’t know. But if we can secure her, we can stop the rumors from spreading, right?”

Temenos nodded slowly.

“If this scheme exists, the Emperor likely already has the two women in custody. I’ll send people to the capital.”

“While they’re at it, track down the father of her child. If things go south, we’ll need to present the real father.”

“I’ll look into that. Do you have any idea who the father might be?”

“Nope. That part’s a mystery.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if the readers provided more details and followed the basic who-what-when-where-why principles?

“Anyway, judging by how desperate the Emperor is to bring me to the capital, it seems he really wants me there.”

“That’s the most puzzling part. Why would he go to such lengths to get the Saintess?”

His words made a realization flash through my mind.

‘Could it be that the Emperor has caught on to the Great Temple being a heretical den? Is he planning to expose it?’

But considering that past emperors bore the title of ‘Saint’ and were blessed with eternal youth, it would be impossible for him to publicly reveal such a truth.

And if his intentions were noble, he wouldn’t resort to such underhanded tactics.

‘Then what’s the real reason? Why is he so desperate to bring me there?’

I don’t have enough clues to speculate further. If only I had fallen into this world after finishing the novel!

‘Well, to catch a tiger, you have to enter its den.’

I made up my mind.

“I’ll go to the capital.”

Temenos frowned, his face filled with concern.

“Are you sure? You might face unjust treatment just for being my wife.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“What?”

Temenos furrowed his brows in confusion. Realizing my slip, I quickly kissed his cheek.

His ears turned bright red. His body was honest, even if his mouth wasn’t.

“And one last thing.”

“What now?”

“Yesterday, I received two divine oracles.”

Temenos looked puzzled.

“You mean the one you said I couldn’t hear yet?”

“Yes, that one. I reviewed it a few hours after.”
 

<To be continued>

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